After a dismal summer in Toronto-area real estate, market watchers are looking into September for shafts of light. Buyers are moving forward. Some are bold, others are tentative, but they are in motion. But just as buyers shake off their somnolence, sellers appear to be hesitating. Adding to the uncertainty is this week’s rate hike by the Bank of Canada. …

The growing use of home equity loans and lines of credit means more Canadians are exposed to immediate changes in borrowing rates, while those thinking about buying a home need to take a prudent look at what they can afford to pay. The Bank of Canada’s second interest rate increase this summer has financial experts warning that more could be …

It seems every time a midrise development is proposed, it is treated as if it were an affront to civic good taste and municipal well-being. As Toronto planners tell it, midrise development could well be this city’s saviour. Lining the main streets with four- to 11-storey buildings, they argue, would provide housing for thousands without overwhelming the neighbourhoods of which …

As the cost of Toronto-area housing rises, so do the financing challenges for young adults. Report says $200,000 a year is the average income needed for a detached house in Toronto. It takes a six-figure income to afford virtually any Toronto area home — even a condo — and that expense is presenting a considerable financial challenge to an important …

The rebound underscores just how difficult it is to control runaway prices in the current economic conditions. OTTAWA—Just as Toronto’s housing market is beginning to slow down, Vancouver’s is roaring back to life. New home prices in Canada’s most-expensive market jumped 1.5 per cent in June, and have gained 5 per cent since March, data released Thursday by Statistics Canada …

Apartment-seekers are driving the streets looking for rentals and creating web profiles, similar to dating bios, to attract landlords. Trying to find an apartment in Toronto is a lot like online dating, only more demoralizing. Ask Kin Lau. Normally, landlords would be swiping right on him. He’s got a perfect credit score and a good job. But last week he …

Toronto’s housing downturn is not being felt equally across the region, with many neighbourhoods still seeing the prices of detached houses climb even while the average price falls across the Greater Toronto Area. A new report by realty firm Re/Max Integra shows that 40 per cent of 65 districts within the Toronto Real Estate Board recorded detached house price increases …

In its latest housing market assessment released today, CMHC kept its overall risk rating for the national housing market at strong. The federal housing agency says the current downturn in Toronto’s housing market is expected to be short-lived. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) says Toronto property prices, which have fallen over the last couple of months, should pick up …

Ontario’s 1.6 million condo dwellers will be able to take disputes to a tribunal under new provincial rules that include mandatory training for condo directors and licensing for building managers. Until now, condo owners and corporations had to hire a private mediator or go through the courts to pursue issues ranging from noisy neighbours to corporate record access. It’s an …

By one metric, the Greater Toronto housing market has quickly shifted from a seller’s market to one favouring buyers. The area’s sales-to-new-listings ratio dropped to 39.4 per cent in June, according to seasonally adjusted figures released Monday by the Canadian Real Estate Association. In January, it topped 94 per cent. A ratio between 40 and 60 per cent is generally …